Mariano Marcos
State University

PJM joins British Council-led ASEAN-UK Higher Education Week

By Ian Paul Villanueva

Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) President Virgilio Julius P. Manzano, Jr., joined top higher education leaders from the country and Southeast Asia at the ASEAN-UK Higher Education Week 2026, held November 3 to 5 at The Peninsula Manila.

Spearheaded by the United Kingdom (UK) government through the British Council and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), the three-day event served as a platform for institutions in Southeast Asia and the UK to establish cross-border academic and research linkages.

Notably, CHED Chairperson Shirley C. Agrupis led the ceremonial launch of the Philippines' Transnational Higher Education (TNHE) Strategy at the event. An initiative that would align the quality frameworks of the Philippines with that of the UK, the strategy is hoped to eventually result in the mutual recognition of academic credits earned in the Philippines and the UK.

With about 15 participating higher education institutions (HEIs) from the UK, 20 from the Philippines, and 30 others from the broader ASEAN region, President Manzano’s presence at the event underscores the university’s proactive push toward internationalization.

With Dr. Manzano’s participation in high-level dialogues and partnership sessions, the university aims to operationalize its internationalization frameworks to boost faculty and student mobility and forge collaborative partnerships with international institutions.

Moving forward, MMSU is expected to leverage these strategic dialogues to further expand and enhance its internationalization initiatives, even as the university aims to be a premier Southeast Asian university by 2033.